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Development Of Novel Dart Tofms Analytical Techniques For The Identification Of Organic Contamination On Spaceflight-Related Substrates And Aqueous Media, Kathleen Loftin
Development Of Novel Dart Tofms Analytical Techniques For The Identification Of Organic Contamination On Spaceflight-Related Substrates And Aqueous Media, Kathleen Loftin
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organic contamination on spaceflight hardware is an ongoing concern for spaceflight safety. In addition, for the goal of analyzing for possible evidence of extra-terrestrial life, it is necessary to consider the presence of terrestrial contamination. This paper will introduce and evaluate a new method using a direct analysis real time (DART) ionization source paired with a high resolution time of flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) for the determination of organic contamination involved in spaceflight hardware and ground support materials. This novel analytical technique has significant advantages over current methodologies. Materials analyzed in this study were historically considered as probable contaminants in …